Siemens Communications, one of the world’s largest communications providers, has signed an OR 7.8 million (US $20.2M) deal with Oman Mobile to extend GSM radio capacity and coverage in Oman’s Sharqiya, Dakhliya, Dharia and Wusta regions.

The deal represents the third phase of Oman Mobile’s GSM network upgrade through Siemens, which now boasts one million subscribers across the Sultanate.

The upgrade will enable Oman Mobile to serve a significantly higher number of subscribers and extend network coverage to include previously unreachable areas. “Siemens has a long history in Oman, dating back to 1860, and established a fully fledged project office in the Sultanate in 1982,” said Soenke Peters, VP Siemens Communications Mobile Networks Middle East. “In 1996, Siemens launched the country’s first ever GSM service and today several strategic parts of the country’s telecommunications infrastructure are powered by Siemens technology.

“With such longstanding interests in the Sultanate, Siemens remains committed to working with partners like Oman Mobile to provide the country with a world-class GSM network and give the people of Oman access to the latest mobile services.”

Siemens Communications is the sole supplier of Intelligent Networking (IN) technology to Oman Mobile and recently completed the expansion of its IN network.

In addition to Siemens’ comprehensive business interests in the Sultanate, the German company is also one of the leading corporate advocates of Omanisation, supporting a wide range of government-led initiatives and establishing the Omantel-Siemens Development Centre for Telecom Solutions at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat.